Son of Ares
by The Boy with a Pen
Summary: Josh Minor is a teenage kid in New York. He has a classic orphan's story. His father disappeared and his mother died in the Marines. She taught him how to fight and how to survive. He worked in his dad's old shop. Everything was normal, he even had his own apartment! But one day, everything changed. And now, he doesn't know if he can survive.
1. I Receive a Disturbing Message

**Well, you are a half-blood, congratulations and my condolences . If you absolutely have no idea what I am talking about please put this letter back in locker number 5288. If you posted this online, screw you. If I posted this online, screw me! Since the look on you face is obvious I will start from the beginning. My name is Josh Minor, I am a half-blood. If you are going to continue reading this, please note that you should be at Camp Half-Blood. I will see you there! So I hope you enjoy my pain, romance, and humor…**

It was another average day at Mars' Weapons Surplus!™. I was piecing together another broken sword when I received a phone call from an anonymous caller.

"Hey, kid. Nice job with that sword. If you don't want it in your groin, you will fill the man at the counter's bag with money. If you call the police I will kill your sister."

Well, my day was off to a great start. An anonymous caller. Money. Violence. Just beautiful. I slipped the sword back into its sheath. The bell at the front desk rang out several times. When I reached the counter I saw something horrible. A man about seven feet tall had a bronze hammer slung over his back. His arms were the size of bazooka barrels and peaking out from his ski mask was a solid blue eye. Not eyes. Just one eye. I nonchalantly opened the cash register and dumped it in the pillowcase that the monster was holding. He looked at it angrily and grunted.

"What? I don't have that much cash money because people use Visa now a days, sorry," I scoffed. Apparently he didn't like that and smashed the marble counter in two with his fists. What the heck is he?! I thought. Then something popped into my head, something I had never thought before my mom died. A cyclops. He is a freaking cyclops.

My hand drifted to the sword that I fixed. But would it hurt him? I didn't care. I needed to kill it. A strange passion welled up in my chest and I charged at the monster.

The monster's action seemed slower when I charged, like the world was in slow motion. I stabbed the sword right through the monster's ugly face. Suddenly he tore apart and burst. I was covered in some sort of black slime and sickly yellow powder. Just when I was about to throw up I saw something glint from a mountain of cyclops-flavored Kool Aid mix. I ignored my stomach and plunged my hand through the dust which was clumping together with the slime. My hand made contact with a cold metal block. I dug it out and hefted a bronze hammer with a bronze hilt wrapped in leather. It was perfectly balanced in my hands. Suddenly it started shaping around my arm until I had a bronze/leather gauntlet all the way up to my shoulder.

Gauntlet, I thought. I like that. My cellphone chimed in my pocket. I answered.

"Hello?"

"WHERE ARE YOU?!" My ear rang at the sound.

"Oh, nice to talk to you, too, Drew."

Drew was some spoiled daughter of a supermodel. She wore too much make up and her outfits were outlandish. But since we were cousins she kind of took it upon herself to be my personal mom. I was sort of grateful for that, but I missed her in the summer when she would take a one way trip to New York. She went to a summer camp for the Gifted and Talented or something like that. I really had no interest in that even though I could easily make it with my grades. Plus you had to be invited and I hadn't. I looked online for any sort of hint, but they weren't very social apparently.

"Josh," she whined. "You're suppose to be at school! This is the third time this week!"

"Yeah, yeah. I know. But I am really getting good business at my dad's shop!" I exclaimed.

"You mean the dad that disappeared?" she said. I sighed and retrieved the store vacuum from the janitor's closet. I began to clean up the shop.

"I am really angry that he left and all, but..." I didn't finish.

She sighed. "But he's still your dad. Yeah, I felt that way about my mom for a while."

Had cleaned up the majority of the store by the time the door swung open.

"Oh. Um… Drew. I've got a customer. I gotta go. 'Bye." I hung up the phone and turned to my customer.

"Welcome to Mars' Weapons Surplus!™. How can I help you this fine morning?" I said in my best salesman's voice.

"I am here to see a..." He paused and consulted a slip of paper. "Josh Minor." He said my name like a question.

"That's me! How can I assist you? We have swords, javalines, bows, and much more!"

He looked confused. I told him again. I had a moment to take him in. He had olive skin (like mine), rough black hair, and dark eyes that said, "I will kill you if you don't live up to my expectations." He wore a leather aviator jacket over a black shirt that pictured skeletons being burned in purple flames. He may have been a couple years younger than me, but that didn't stop him from startling me.

"I'm not here to look at weapons," he said. "I'm here for you."

Oh crap, I thought. I am so screwed. Then I tried for a different approach. My eyes locked with his and I gave him my best yeah-right-I-could-whip-you-up-a-tree-before-you-could-even-say-"oops" stare. He smirked and said, "No matter how bad you think you are, I'm worse."

I chuckled and said, "Try me." The floor in front of me split open and released ten skeletons wearing Greek battle gear. The boy cried at them, "ATTACK!" I unsheathed my sword and charged at them.

I noticed other things when I attacked. The wind seemed to move slower and the boy's hair fluttered slower. It wasn't the world in slow motion, it was me. I am going to fast for the world! I thought. I slashed at the skeletons but no matter how many times it didn't do was only one chance left. Attack their master.

I dodged attacks that were two times slower than normal. I raced towards the boy and pressed the tip of bronze against his throat.

"Call them off," I growled through my teeth. He gulped and the skeletons sank back into the ground.

"Who are you?" His voice was shaky.

"I am Josh Minor, who are you?" I asked.

"My name's Nico," he said. "Nico diAngelo."

Well, needless to say that Nico kid scurried out pretty quickly. After a couple more hours at the shop I decided to close up for the day. When I was walking home I noticed I was being followed by a kid in a rasta cap about my age. He had curly hair sticking out from under his hat. He had a funny walk that made it hard for him to be inconspicuous. I made it look like I didn't notice him for a while but I finally turned around.

"Stealth isn't one of your strong points, is it?" I asked.

He sighed. "No, not really."

"Why are you following me?"

He looked at me with pleading brown eyes. "Cause you're special, Josh. You- you aren't like other kids." Wow. Was this guy from you're-special-because-you're-you t-shirt slogan land?

"If you are going to try for kidnapping you need to have a better cover. See ya around," I said.

I walked to my apartment that Drew, my sister, and I lived in. 306. That was the room number. I liked that I had a home to go to every day. And in the summer I had the place all under my power! BWA-HA-HA-HA! Just kidding. Drew kind of ruled the place from fall to spring.

When I put the key into the lock I heard a thump and a shriek inside. There was no doubt in my mind that my sister had found a spider. We were both afraid of spiders, but her more than me. She will start hyperventilating and stuff. You know the drill.

I opened the door to see a girl with gray eyes and pale yellow hair jumping on the bed. The spider was about the side of a thumbtack, but that didn't matter to her. She doesn't like spiders.

"Woah! Calm down Jess!" I exclaimed. "I'll get it." I slipped the key back into my pocket. Jessie was about ten years old. My mom adopted her about twelve years after I was born. She looked nothing like me with a pale face, gray eyes, and blonde hair so pale it almost looked white. I had eyes that shifted from hazel to brown to green, dark brown hair, and olive skin.

Even though Jessie was ten she was smart. She memorized every book she read. There was just intelligence spouting from her eyes. The bathroom door slammed. Drew strode out. She was so angry at me that she couldn't speak in full sentences.

"Tomorrow. School. Last day. Be there. Or else," she hissed. I didn't argue with her. Even though she was a girl and I was much bigger than her she could talk you into doing things that weren't the greatest.

"Okay," I whimpered. I slipped of my shoe and smacked the spider a couple of times so Jess could see that it was dead. She slipped of her bed and grabbed a book. Forensics for Dummies, it read. Wow, I thought. That is a free reading book? Suddenly there was a pound on the door.

"I'll get it!" Drew shouted. When she opened the door the Rasta kid was standing at the door.

"Oh, Grover. What are you doing here?" she asked. "Camp is tomorrow."

"I know," he said. "But, I was sent here to collect these two." Collect? I thought. We aren't something that you can just pick up at Bargain Mart.

"Both of them?" Drew exclaimed. "I had my suspicions on Jessie, but Josh? I don't know. He seems so… average." When she finished something hit me like an icicle to the heart. Average, I thought. Nothing special about you.

"No, go ahead," I told Drew. "Don't let my boring domestic life hit you in the butt on the way out." My words seethed with so much poison even Grover looked shocked.

"No," Grover said. "I can smell something half-blood in him. Something violent; angry if you will." Then his face melted into confusion. "And then, something different. Something special and rare..." he trailed off. "I have to take them to Camp." He looked so determined it was almost frightening. And then that word, Camp, it sounded like paradise.

"And by special and rare you mean like Percy and Thalia, right?" Drew asked.

"No," Grover replied. "Something different..." Great, as much as I wanted to be special, average was sounding a bit better now. His eyes drifted to my arm. Gauntlet must have cloaked itself to look like my arm was in a cast.

"Josh, when did you break your arm?" Drew asked.

"Um... " I didn't want to raise suspicion that I was attacked, so I lied. "I was working on a weighted sword and I broke my arm. I'm fine really." They all bought it, except for Jess. She didn't look convinced. Her eyebrow rose and I looked at her and sent her a silent message: I'll tell you later.

"Well, let's get going!" he exclaimed.

"Uh, sure," I said. "But I have to go tomorrow because if I get one more absent I will have to take my junior year all over again." Drew's nostrils flared.

"I thought you said you didn't miss that many days!" She was practically screaming in my ear now.

"That was before this month..." I mumbled.

"Yeah," Grover said nervously. "It's fine. Just one more day won't hurt." The way he said it made it sound like he was reassuring himself rather than me. When Grover left and Drew called lights out I couldn't sleep. I kept thinking about Camp. When I finally drifted to sleep I was bombarded with dreams. Three women with giant raven wings were bowing before a throne.

"YOU WILL NOT FAIL ME!" a voice bellowed from the throne. "NOW GO!"

"Yes, my lord," one of the women cried. "We will not fail."

They dissolved into darkness and the shadow on the throne cried, "YOU HAVE BEEN USED FOR JUSTICE, BUT NOW YOU WILL BE USED FOR VENGENCE! EVERYONE WILL COWER AT MY WEAPONS, THE ERINYES!"

 **My mind was forced to wake up and one word rang over and over in my head. Erinyes...**


	2. I Get Attacked by a Giant Killer Llama

**The next morning I took a shower, brushed my teeth, and got dressed. Jessie took the bus to school while Drew drove herself and I to school. It was the last day and I was excited. Not for school but for Camp! I couldn't wait to take whatever they teach. Swimming, tennis, football, writing, anything!**

When we pulled into a parking space we heard a wolf-whistle come from the area were all of the jocks park. I really hated those douche bags. They walked around like they owned the place. Then there were the nerds. They were bullied and stuff like that, unless they were cute nerds, like Annabeth. I really didn't have a crush on her because she scares me. No matter what I do to be nice she always finds me irritating. She was really snippy and kind of depressed. Like she saw all Hell unfold before her eyes and lived to tell about it.

Then there was me. I wasn't in any territory. I was average. I got out of the car and tried to shut the door with my right hand when I remembered Gauntlet. It was still on my arm. I had to lead other people to believe that my right arm was completely useless. I proceeded to shut the door with my _left_ hand this time.

That was when I saw Gabby. She had dirty blonde hair that was pulled back into a long braid. She wore large glasses with thick rims over her gray eyes. She was kind of my only friend. If you would even call her a friend. She also found me completely annoying. Something about blondes and I don't mix apparently.

"She likes you," whispered Drew. "Go say hi."

I looked at her completely appalled.

"Yeah," I said. "And I'm a flying three-eyed pig."

"Well, the first step is admitting." I threw a pen at her.

I went to my first class which was Advanced Chemistry. I took notes the entire period, but my heart wasn't in it. All the while I was thinking about Camp. Our teacher gave us the final exam, which I aced no doubt. What? I'm smart! It was all the same bore in all the other classes. When I came out the double doors and breathed in the fresh air I sighed. Grover came up by me.

"A whole day without any Kindly Ones, huh?" he asked.

"Well," I answered. "I'd think I would know what a Kindly One was so I would have to say, no."

"Good, that's good."

All of a sudden I heard a loud screech. I turned to see a stampede of teenagers scrambling out of the building. Gabby ran right into me.

"Gabby, what's going on in there?" I asked.

"Giant killer llama," she answered between breaths.

" _What?_ "

"You heard me, you idiot! Giant killer llama!" she cried.

Suddenly the glass doors exploded and, sure enough, an eight foot bronze llama lept out of the building. It's eyes glowed red. It spit acid all over the place.

 _Not today,_ I thought. _There is no way I am going to let all of these people die._ I raised my fist and charged the beast. As if walking through Jell-O, the world slowed down. The llama's movements were slower. I slammed Gauntlet right into his pointy bronze nose. It caved in like it was a soda can. I hit it again and again. Over and over. Until finally I had a very pissed-off cube of bronze. Drew ran up to me and put her hand on my shoulder.

"Well, that was fun," she panted. "Time to go!"

We dashed towards Grover.

"What the frick was that?" I asked.

"A giant killer llama," he replied.

"I know it was a frickin' llama," I said. "but who made it and why did it attack me?"

"Because you're… different." He looked at me with sad brown eyes, like he was already sizing my coffin.

"Yeah right. Let's get out of here," I said. I was so confused. I just got attacked by a bronze llama and beat the crap out of it.

"We need to get Jesse!" Drew exclaimed. Oh, my gosh! I forgot all about Jessie!

Grover wore a look of panic on his face. "Oh Styx! Jessie!" We all piled into Drew's car as she floored it all the way to Jackson Elementary. Jessie ran out to us.

"You guys are early!" she piped up, excitedly.

"Jesse," I said, calmly. "You need to hurry. We need to go to Camp… what was it called Grover?" I just realized that he never told me.

"Camp Half-Blood," he replied.

"Right, Camp Half-Blood. Let's go."

"But," Jessie started. "I don't have anything packed!" She pulled out a silver locket and twisted it between her fingers. And owl was carved on either side. It was the only thing her parents left for her.

"That's okay!" Grover said quickly. "We have plenty of stuff at camp!"

Jessie reluctantly got into the car as Drew drove to Camp Half-Blood.

"So, Grover, would you like to tell us what's at Camp?" I asked.

"Oh, tons of stuff!" he exclaimed. "Sword fighting, poetry, monster classes, Capture the Flag, modified paintball! The whole nine yards!"

"Did you say _monster class_ and _sword fighting_?" Jessie asked.

Grover pretended not to hear her. We finally arrived at a hill with pine tree. There was a red letterman's jacket stuck on the top branch. It had a golden horse-shoe shape stitched into the fabric. The tree had a two-foot-thick red coil of wire wrapped around the trunk. I approached the tree and the wire opened its eyes. It was then that I realized that the wire was actually a fierce serpent guarding a golden piece of fleece. _The Golden Fleece,_ I thought. _They have the Golden Fleece!_

"Hey, Peleus!" Grover said. "How are you doing my friend?"

A small growl came from the serpent.

"That's good!" Grover said. "Hey, I was wondering if you wouldn't eat my friends. 'Kay?"

The dragon gurgled.

"Thanks, buddy!"

We walked past the tree and it felt like I walked through a mosquito net. I stopped altogether and stuck my hand there again. There was definite barrier there. Grover, Drew, and Jessie were already ahead of me. I dashed over to them. They were discussing the cabins which were constructed the way they were determined by the Greek god who patrons it.

"So," I said. "You guys are like Greek geeks?"

Grover blushed. "You could say that. We aren't just fans. We're demigods." The word _demigod_ rushed over me. That meant…

"I'm half god half human?" I asked. "But that's impossible!"

"Is it really, Josh?" Grover questioned. "Who disappeared? Your mom or dad?"

"Dad... but-"

"Then you are either a son of Aeolus, Aether, Apollo, Aristaeus, Asclepius…" And he kept droning on and on about gods. I really didn't care, I just wanted to know about this demigod business.

" ...Zelus, Zephyrus, or Zeus. Any questions?" he finished.

"Yeah, what do demigods do?" I asked.

"We go on quests for the gods," he replied.

Suddenly the loud speakers blared.

" _Welcome to Camp Half-Blood, you little brats. I am Dionysus, but you can call me Mr. D. I am head of Camp. Please report to the dining pavilion. Yay,_ " the voice droned, enthusiastically.

"Okay, Josh," said Grover. "Let's go meet your friends at the Hermes Cabin, but don't get too comfy!"

"Why?"

"Because that's where you go until you're claimed!"

I was seated at a table with about thirty other campers.

"Regular or unclaimed?" an elfish boy squeaked.

"Unclaimed," replied Grover.

They all groaned.

"But at least he won't be here for long!" one piped up. "Percy fixed that!" A couple of mutters and whispers erupted from the table. I sat down with a plate of beef, strawberries, and grapes. A golden goblet was provided for me. Sadly, it was empty.

 _Dang,_ I thought. _I could really go for an apple cider. Just like mom used to make it._ Suddenly my cup began to fill with sparkly caramel liquid. I hesitantly took a sip. Hot, sparkling apple cider. And it was perfect. The kid sitting next to me looked at me with dark brown eyes.

"What'cha drinkin'?" he asked.

"Hot, sparkling apple cider," I said. "How my mom used to make it."

"Home sick?" He looked amused. "On the first day?"

"No," I replied, cutting off a slice of brisket. "My mom's dead." I took a bite. ' _My mom's dead',_ I thought. _Smooth. A real party conversation._

"Oh," he said. He looked sheepishly at his plate. "Sorry."

"Not your fault," I said. "My mom was in the Navy Seals. When she would come home she would teach me everything she knew. Served for twenty-five years. Died behind the wheel. Four years ago. Hit by a drunk television star. My baby brother died along with my mother. I lost them both to alcohol. Hate it. Don't have much respect for it. And especially not to Dionysus."

"Well, you'd better," the kid said. "Or he'll turn you into a dolphin!"

I laughed. He did too.

"What's your name?" I asked him.

"Ryan," he said. "Ryan Zerik."

"Josh Minor." I shook his hand. Suddenly a flash of red knocked me over. A man encased in a red aura was standing on the table. His fist was out where my face was. He chuckled. Behind his sunglasses nuclear explosions went off.

 **"** **FINALLY," he yelled. "A KID OF MINE ISN'T A TOTAL SISSY! BEHOLD! JOSHUA MINOR, SON OF ARES, GOD OF WAR, KEEPER OF THE SPARTANIAN SPEAR!"**


	3. I am a Paintball BEAST!

**I was really confused how my mom fell in love with that jerk. Maybe he had a good side? I doubted it, but there was always hope. Sometimes. Anyway after the dinner I was stuck in with the Ares kids. Their counselor, Clarisse, had brown hair and a hardened expression. The only time I saw her soften was when she talked to some latino kid from the Hermes Cabin. Cramer? Casey? Don't worry, I'll think of it. She had a large red spear strapped to her back. In her pocket she carried a pink handkerchief with the initials** **SB** **laced into it, which was weird. I thought her name was Clarisse La Rue.**

We were going to be playing modified paintball. It was modified because the paint was mixed with Celestial bronze powder. You would know when it hit you. We played shirtless. Girls had to wear sports bras. The Ares Cabin was prepared. It was Athena, Apollo, Poseidon, Hades, Aphrodite, and the minor gods versus Ares, Hermes, Hephaestus, and the minor goddesses.

Ares was prepared. They spent countless days with the Hephaestus Cabin making paintballs and planning. Sadly Jessie was in the Athena Cabin which didn't like us Ares kids. Something about war gods not getting along. Everyone had a leather strap lined with extra paintball clips along with a silencer. We could pick which gun we used. I chose a Tippmann 98 Custom. It had a long barrel with an extra handle for stability. I was told it was good for beginners. They seemed sympathetic towards me. Apparently they all have had a run in with Dear Old Dad. Clarisse wasn't as bad as I thought. She really cared about her men. She gave us a one over to make sure all of our equipment was working. When she came to me she patted me on the shoulder and said, "Welcome little brother, TO THE ARES CABIN!"

All the other campers raised their weapons in salute and gave a battle cry that would make anyone (except me, of course) wet their pants. We came out carrying a red banner embroidered with a bloodied spear. The other team came out with a silver banner embroidered with an owl. We all wore black camouflage pants. Team Ares had a red silk belt strung through our belt loops. Team Athena had a silver belt the same way. Apparently when you shot someone they give up their belt. Then it becomes the color of the opposing team. Then they tie their belt to the tree that they were standing near.

Except there's a plot twist. We release monsters into the field once the game passes an hour. That is when things get interesting (or so I'm told). Suddenly a firework exploded in the sky which signaled the teams had an hour to make a base. There were pre-made bases, but we had to post heros at the base. I technically wasn't a hero since I haven't spent a year at camp yet but Clarisse sent me along with the Hephaestus division.

I carefully crept behind the rest of my division. We found an area that was perfect. Half of us broke up to climb trees and guard. I stayed with the group that pressed on. Finally the firework signaled that the game began. We picked up the pace. Dodging trees. Splitting up. Regrouping. Suddenly the air whooshed by my ear and a golden paint mark sizzled against the tree behind me.

"Apollo," the entire division nervously muttered. I spotted the one who shot at me and took careful aim… _BANG BANG BANG!_ Suddenly he stopped, took off his belt, and tied it to the trunk of his tree.

"Where are the rest of them?" I asked. One of the Hephaestus boys turned towards me. His arms were enormous. Now that I think of it all of their arms were huge. They had hands the size of baseball mitts.

"They are spread too theen," he said. He had a Jamaican accent. "Bad strategy!" He smirked. "A bad strategy, coming from Athena. Ha!"

"Maybe he was a scout," I offered.

"If he was a scout den why did he attack us?" He had a good point. Suddenly a whole barrage of silver paintballs streamed towards us. I did the only thing I could do. Protect my friends. Then I remembered Alexander the Great's strategy. Offence is the best defense. And I ran faster than I had ever run before. I avoided paintballs and charged at Athena's lines. I realized I was surrounded in a green aura. I had green wings on my feet. I held the trigger and never let go. Only to reload. And even that didn't take long.

By the time that they were all gone the trees looked like they were dressed up in tinsel. I couldn't say I took them all single-handedly. The Hephaestus Cabin helped, but so many got shot. We were thirty before, but now we were about half that.

Finally we could see the Athena base in the distance. They were heavily guarded. All of a sudden a hellhound charged out of the woods. We shot it down, but that meant there were other monsters in the woods, and that didn't help our odds.

"Well, my friends," I yelled. "It is time to make our final stand! FOR ARES!"

The cry came back to me, but not from my own men, but from the _entire_ Ares division that merged with my own. Clarisse even took up the cry. Then we all charged. We met the rest of the Athena cabin head on with some other minor demigod mixes. I was again surrounded by that green aura with wings on my shoes. I dodged, shot, and disarmed. It became a fluid motion. Take three shots. Duck. Slap gun from hand. Take three shots. Duck. Slap gun from hand. You get the point.

Finally we forced them into retreat, pegging some on the way. We looped around the base at the utterly _worst_ point to infiltrate: a solid wall. We taped a vial of Greek fire to it and blew the hallway. _I hope I didn't hit someone,_ I thought. We split up and tried to navigate the maze of hallways that made up their base. In teams of three, we marched through. We met up with a couple of Aphrodite girls who were doing their make up.

"Hey, Drew," I said. She turned and I pegged her right in the forehead. The other girls didn't even pick up their guns. They just stood there in shock. Drew cursed at me and took off her belt. She stormed off to the nearest exit. The other girls were staring at me. Ryan, from Hermes, Taylor, from Hecate, and I probably looked pretty fierce.

"If you girls don't want a makeover, too, you should surrender now," Ryan growled. They slunk after Drew, following suit. We found a good place to hide and ambush some campers. We ducked behind crates and barrels. Suddenly we heard footsteps coming towards our corridor. Ryan popped out and started firing. He tagged one or two when he got shot right on the nose. He took off his belt and tied it to my arm.

"Good luck to you my friend," he said. "You'll need it." He had a smudge of gray paint on his nose. I peaked over the crate I was hiding behind to see Gabby, Jessie, and some other kid with black hair and green eyes. I think Dionysus called him Peter. Or was it Perry? Maybe both? Taylor tried to attract their fire but got hit in the process. She tagged Jessie with her glossy green paint (which I am glad she did, because I couldn't have). Finally I heard a click and Perry swear. _He's out,_ I thought.

I jumped from my cover and pegged Percy three times. Gabby, with wide eyes ran from the scene. I tacked her. She wriggled like a worm.

"Let go of me you rapist pig!" she cried. I laughed. I tagged her for good measure.

" _Au contraire mon ami_ ," I said. "I was simply tagging thee." Suddenly I heard a boom from out side.

"And I believe I have won." I helped her up. She blew hair out of her face and pushed me aside.

 **"** **Whatever," she growled. Great.** ** _Now I have made another enemy,_** **I thought.** ** _Well, I guess Clarisse gets to collect her victory laurel._** **Suddenly the wall behind me exploded and I knew nothing more.**


	4. VERY IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE!

Sorry, half-bloods! I'm going to be at Mt. Olympus Resort in Wisconsin! PARADISE. I won't be posting this weak. So for all of you peeps in Wisconsin, I hope I can meet you! Bye, my demigod friends!


	5. I Have a Secret Admirer?

When I woke up my vision was blurry and I could barely make out a red-headed girl standing over me.

"Wha...?" I began, trying to sit up.

"Woah! Lay back down," she gently pushed my back onto the bed I was sitting in. "You've been in a coma for three days."

"Three _days_?" I asked, completely shocked. "What happened?"

"Someone threw a vial of Greek fire in the hallway," she said in a serious tone. "You're lucky to be alive."

Oh my gods. I almost died on my first day at Camp.

"I have got to leave this place," I said while struggling to get out of bed.

The girl looked hurt. "Why would you want to leave? This is the only safe place of Greek demigods."

"Well, if this is the only safe place then I don't want to be a demigod."

She laughed. "Too bad! I'm not a demigod, yet I still wound up in this place!"

"Not a demigod?" I questioned. "Then what are you?"

"I am the camp Oracle!" She thrust out her hand. "My name is Rachel!"

I shook it cautiously. "Josh Minor."

"Well, now that you're awake I think it's time Chiron met you."

She grabbed me by the wrist and pulled me out of the building I was in. I'd assume it was the infirmary since I wasn't the only one in there with a medical problem.

She walked me (*cough* dragged me *cough*) to the Stadium. It had a bunch of straw dummies in the middle. It was surrounded by a running track with twelve places for runners. A man, no sorry, horse, no, man, no, AUGH. He was a man with a horse's rump. There, I said it. Gods!

He was pawing the ground nervously. I took that as a good sign. It meant he was afraid of me. Clarisse said something about people not liking us Ares kids. So we had to set up a fearless character figure for ourselves. I calmly approached him.

"So, you must be Chiron," I said.

"I am indeed," he said. Chiron had a deep voice that soothed any worry you hand. He also had a sort of a teacher vibe to him, but I didn't see how he could be a teacher; the horse part might be distracting.

"I noticed how you ran during the games," he said. "How did you do that?"

"I don't know," I said, honestly. "It just… happens. Like running, I'm not holding back."

"Well," he said. "Then you wouldn't mind not holding back on this track."

"Yeah, okay." I got down in a running stance. Then I erupted onto the track. I didn't push myself, I just ran. That same green aura surrounded me. The world around me slowed. I crossed the track, again and again. I felt myself speeding up. The green glow became more intense and tingled my arms. Suddenly, time stopped. Chiron stayed looking in the same direction. A fly was suspended in the air by nothing. A man in a post office uniform holding a staff approached me. He adjusted his cap and leaned on his staff.

"So, son of Ares," he began. "We meet at last."

"Who are you?" I asked. Suddenly I realized that two snakes were coiled around the staff and led up to the handle that had a pair of wings sprouting out of it.

"Well, since we haven't met," he said. "I will just have to brush that off." He cleared his throat. "My name is Hermes. I decided to meet you before you find out."

"Find out what?" I asked, utterly and completely confused.

He gave me a wink and snapped his fingers. He disappeared and time continued.

"Amazing!" Chiron exclaimed. He turned to face me. "My boy, it seems that you are blessed by Hermes! I haven't seen that since Achilles!" He continued to mutter excitedly to himself. But I was less excited. Just another obstacle in the way of being normal.

 _Great,_ I thought. _Looks like college a year early is out of the picture._ It was true. I was in my third year of high school early. What? I was smart! I got to skip my sophomore year and go right to my junior year. I didn't think you could do that, but _I_ wasn't complaining. Mostly. It made me sort of an outsider. I was one step away from being in the populars when BOOM! Suddenly I am shown to be really smart. And girls don't go for brains, they go for brawn. I had some of that. My arms were adequately sized, but not enough, apparently. I got along fine with school. I didn't have many friends. I cracked jokes to avoid getting the crap beat out of me. And at the end of the day I crashed, literally. My body and mind couldn't go any farther. I just… shut down. I was like a robot. I guess coming to camp kind of helped me fall out of it.

Now I felt like I skipped another grade. The friends I had aren't going to be on my level and now. Then I would drift further from the group. I decided not to dwell on that practice my sword fighting. Not really because I needed it, just to pass the time. I held a bronze sword in my right hand since I conformed Gauntlet to my left arm instead of my right. I hacked at a dummy until my arm felt like jelly. Then I practiced my aim with the a 12mm Celestial bronze handgun I "borrowed" from the Hephaestus cabin. I lined up three dummies and pulled the trigger. _CRACK CRACK CRACK!_ I nailed all three in the forehead from 30 feet. _Not bad,_ I thought. _Not bad at all._ Suddenly Percy and some other blonde boy stormed in with swords ready.

"What are you doing," the blonde boy asked. His blue eyes were filled with sparks of lightning. I unloaded my gun and three shells fell at my feet. I spun it on my finger and slipped it back in its holster, primed. The other two didn't put their swords back.

"Just practicing my aim," I replied, honestly. They still didn't sheath their weapons.

I sighed. "Okay, boys. Let's not get testy here. How about I introduce myself. Hi, I'm Joshua Hart-Loyle Minor, but you can call me Josh." I didn't use my middle name often, but since I had two mismatched swords pointed at me I wanted to take every chance I got. Percy's sword arm lowered a bit and his glare softened, but the other boy's did not.

"My name is Percy," the Greek said. "Percy Jackson." He reached out his left hand and I shook it.

"Jason," the other boy said. "Jason Grace." Grace. My gaze hardened at his words. The driver who killed my mom's last name was Grace. Beryl Grace. I didn't dwell on it. I plastered a smile to my face.

"Nice to meet you my friends!" I said. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I still have two more rounds to get rid of. See you around!" And with that I turned and emptied an entire round on one, poor dummy. His head was shredded.

"Um, I think it's dead," Percy said, quite alarmed. I laughed.

"You think?" I replied. When they left I imagined that Jason was one dummy. I shot it in the knee, snapped its neck, and flipped it on to its back. I shot it in the head one more time just for good measure. One bullet left. I shrugged it off and spun it back into its holster. _Stupid Graces. Taking my mom._

I strolled back to my cabin. It was a surprisingly long walk to the Ares cabin. The cool night air felt good in my lungs. I saw a lone character sitting on the porch in the Big House. I recognized her red frizzy hair in a second. _Rachel._ I jogged up to her and sat down on the rocker across from her. I rested my forearms on my knees and attempted to strike up a conversation.

"So," I began. "Oracle, huh?"

She leaned back pleased with herself. "Yeah. Chosen one of Apollo."

"So it, like, speaks through you?"

She laughed. "More like mugs me when ever it wants to."

" _Mugs_ you?" I asked.

"Yeah. It, like, possessed my body and steals my voice. I've heard it's kind of intimidating." I chuckled.

"What?" she asked, incredulously.

"Oh, nothing," I said, wiping a tear from my eye. "Just the thought of you being intimidating is a little funny, you've got to admit." She just sat there and thought a while when she exploded with laughter. We both stopped laughing immediately when we heard a deep bellow from the woods. Gauntlet shifted onto my chest, forming a breastplate. I drew my three-foot sword that was strapped to my back.

"I'll be right back," I muttered. I charged thoughtlessly into the woods. Neglecting the peeping dark eyes from behind a tree.


	6. A Lot of Crap Just Happened

**Hey all of my half-blood homies! I am so sorry that I haven't posted for a MONTH. I am not going to make any excuses and just say that I was lazy as all Hades. Sorry for the long wait! THIS BOOK IS NOT DONE YET! Maybe about 15-20 more chapters left. STAY SAUCY and enjoy!**

When I emerged into a clearing I saw it. A giant bear… thing. It was a bear with brown scales. Its eyes were purple and had teeth so fine they could be a papershreader. It opened its mouth to growl but it instead bellowed in my mind.

 _PREPARE TO DIE YOUNG HERO! NO GREEK COULD FOR AS LONG AS I HAVE EXISTED!_ it said.

"Yeah," I said. "So I'd assume about ten minutes." I hefted the sword that was too big for me. Harley, from the Hephaestus cabin said she would make me one that fit me, but for now I was stuck with that bad boy. The bronze blade sparked against its scales. _Oh,_ I thought. _No wonder it couldn't be killed, its scales can't be penetrated._ I didn't know what to so I continued trying to weaken him. My sword was a blur of strikes sending sparks everywhere. It clawed at me. It managed to tear my shirt off revealing my lightly toned body. My olive skin shimmered in the moonlight. The glint against the bearadillo (I like that) revealed a small chink in its armor, under its chin. I pulled out my hand gun and prayed to Apollo.

 _Please, O Awesome god of Haiku! Let my bullet strike true!_ I added the rhyme to, hopefully, please him. I fired at the beast. The beast froze in place. It slowly dissolved into ashes. I sighed. My body was shiny with sweat. I looked at my gun. As I unloaded it I noticed that there were no bullets left. I used the last one. The last bullet. _Thank the Fates!_ I praised.

I dropped my sword and washed my greasy face in the lake. The cool water felt good on my skin. Suddenly I heard a twig snap behind me. I picked up the gleaming bronze sword that I had dropped and braced myself for another attack. Instead the delicate body of a girl slunk out of the shadows. Her light, bronze skin gleamed against the darkness. My piercing green eyes were met with her swirling caramel peepers.

"Easy, big boy," she said smoothly. "I'm not going to hurt you!" She bit her lip a bit, which put me back on edge. I'd tangoed with these kinds of girls before. They only want you so they can wave you around like a trophy. I hate them dearly!

I pulled a friendly smile on my face and attempted a tactic that always pissed them off, the Friend-Zone Tactic. She waltzed up to me, shaking her hips slightly. I knew exactly what she was doing but played it off with a look of fear and confusion.

"Umm… what are you doing?" I asked. She smiled playfully.

"Just letting you know you have someone you can… trust." She breathed slowly on my neck. She seemed to know what she was doing.

"Thanks, girl!" I said and patted her on the back. "It's nice to know I have a _friend_!" She gritted her teeth with annoyance. With that I flipped my long hair to the side and waltzed off. I could hear her growl behind me as I strolled back to my cabin. When I approached it's doors I felt a tingly sensation in my hands, like there was something that needed to be done. There was some sort of feeling that I should go somewhere. I walked along the cobble path that leads around camp. After about fifteen minutes of wandering around camp, I finally realized how big the place was. There were so many cabins, about a cabin and shrine for every Greek deity. I finally stopped in front of a red cabin with white lace-pattern trim. The altar in front of it was a bowl. I assumed that it was for burning incense for whatever god of the cheesy Valentine's card that lived here. Suddenly the bowl erupted with flames and smoke. A silhouette of a man with wings appeared in the smoke. A voice filled my mind.

 _Hail, youngling, Eros! The god of Love!_ it whispered. I bowed before him.

 _Rise,_ he spoke. _For you are of my blood._ Great. Apparently the gods loved screwing with my life. I DIDN'T SIGN UP FOR THIS!

"What do you mean, 'I am of your blood'?" I questioned the god in the smoke.

 _I was the father of your great-grandfather! All of my descendants were gifted with the power of irresistibility, except for you!_

"Great! Thanks for proving to me that I am more of a freak than I already am!" I exclaimed sarcastically. I thought I looked decent, not irresistable, but decent. But when the god of love told me I'm ugly, I felt a bit crappy about myself. For a god of feelings, he seemed to have none.

 _Yes,_ he said. _That is why I am blessing you with the most dangerous gift of all, the Bow of Emotion! I will train you in it's ways, but be warned. A man with as many gifts as you will only have a harder life!_

"Well then stop screwing with my life!" I yelled at him. "I'm only one person, darn it!"

 _You will pay for that remark mortal..._ he hissed. _As my heir, you must understand the pain of love as well as I! Don't beg for it!_ And with that he exploded. Sending me flying across the camp. I was about to slam into a pillar at full force, but Gauntlet saved my life again. He contorted into a shield strapped to my back, which absorbed most of the impact. I walked away with a bloody nose, a concussion, and a slight ringing sound in my ears. I dragged myself to the Big House where Rachel was waiting.

"Need… Ambrosia… nectar… " I moaned. I pulled myself up onto a chair. Rachel ran into the house. I sat there with my head pounding. When she came back I snatched a square of the godly food and stuffed it down my throat. Then I washed it down with the holy liquid. The pain in my head went down to a dull throb. The bleeding in my nose slowed down to a light trickle.

"What happened?" she asked. "What was that? And how did it get past the barrier?"

"Eros. Bearadillo. I don't know," I answered. She looked at me like I was insane, felt my head, and checked my pulse.

"How bad was your concussion?"

"Shut up!" I said. "I know what I'm talking about! There was a bear thing with armadillo scales. Then Eros chucked me across camp!"

Rachel was processing… processing… processing…

"Where did you get that tattoo?"

 _What? Tattoo?!_

She pointed at my arm. Sure enough in black ink was a bow with a quiver full of red, heart tipped arrows.

"I have no ide-" Then I made the mistake of touching it. A full sized bow appeared in my hands with a quiver full of arrows on my back. I pulled one of the arrows out of the quiver and notched it in place on my bow. The arrow had a red aura around it. I pulled back to my shoulder. The taunt pull of the thread was perfect for my arms. I released. The arrow spun towards a tree where it exploded in red and white fireworks. Suddenly the camp shot to life. Everyone came out in pajamas and various pieces of battle armor. They looked around in confusion until I finally said, "False alarm!"

The Aphrodite cabin muttered stuff about beauty sleep, but everyone meandered back to bed. I followed my siblings back to the Ares cabin where I plopped back onto my bed. People were looking at me and whispering until one of my brothers, Marcus, broke the awkwardness.

"So, what were you doing around camp in the middle of the night?" he asked slyly.

"I was talking with Rachel." I didn't want to worry them with the bearadillo sighting.

"Are you sure that was all you were doing?" he questioned with one eyebrow raised.

"Yes…" I answered.

"Okay," he said. "Just make sure that you use protection!"

" _OH MY GODS!_ " I screamed and threw a pillow at him. Everyone laughed at Marcus with a pillow in his mouth. Clarisse called lights out and that was the end of it. I layed back to process what all had happened today. I woke up from a coma, found out I was blessed by the god of speed, found the son of my mom's killer, stole a 12mm, chatted with an oracle, fought a bear-armadillo thing, turned down a hot chick, prayed to the god of archery, was almost murdered by the god of love, and got a magic tattoo. All in a days work!

 **I finally drifted off to sleep, only to be plagued by nightmares…**


	7. Author's Note

Sorry I haven't been updating. Just have been really busy with school. I may update sometime during break for Thanksgiving. Sorry for last chapter being kind of sloppy as well. I needed to slap a whole lot of information on the table and didn't know how to do it. Don't worry though! Plenty of hardships and romances ahead! Stay fresh, my half-blood homies!

~Josh Minor, son of Ares, keeper of the Spartanian Spear and the Bow of Eros.


	8. The Voices

**Hey, halfblood homies! Sorry I haven't updated in, like, a year. So sorry to leave you at a cliff hanger. I am just giving you a little chapter to let you know that I did not abandon this story! Here it is. Thanks to all who egged me on in the PMs to continue writing. Love you long time! 3**

I was greeted by the oily face of a dark being. He had long greasy black hair and a strange looking cloak. It had been decorated with black faces. No, wait. It was made of black faces. Screaming human faces wailed at me but made no sound. I held my breath and counted to three. I did that when I was stressed and couldn't breathe. _One, two._ I was about to say three when the man shouted, "Why aren't the Erinyes attacking Camp Half-Blood? I want that place burned to the ground! Then my children will finally rule the earth and conquer the gods for me."

"They aren't ready, master," A female voice replied to her commander. She was a skeleton. Her boned were not bleached white, but stained with blood. She was missing one of her finger bones. She clutched a bronze, leaf-bladed sword and wore traditional Greek armor.

"Where are they?" he asked.

"They are in Brooklyn gathering power. They are almost at full strength."

"Good," he replied. "Rendezvous with them at the Camp. Bash the shield until it's destroyed. Use any corpse under the Camp. I want them all dead."

* * *

When I woke up, my shirt was soaked with sweat. I needed to cool off. I grabbed a towel and a change of clothes and went to the showers. I was still bare-foot and the cobble trails were uncomfortable but I managed. I hoped the dreams I've been having were just dreams. I couldn't stand more glimpses of the future. I dreamed of streaming headlights the night before my mom died. I dreamed of a basketball the night before I made the Junior varsity team. I couldn't handle the knowledge of hundreds of innocent kids being murdered by the Erinyes. That brought another question. What were the Erinyes? I needed to know.

The showers were warm when you were the first one there. The warm water tried to wash away the memories of the dream, but nothing to take away this impending sense of doom that hung over my head. What could I do? I don't know anyone at this camp long enough to have much of an influence. Wait, maybe I do. I threw on some jeans and a muscle shirt that was red and said, "Just Do It" with the Nike swish below it. I put on a black adidas jacket over that. I laced up a pair of leather Converses and strolled around camp. It was an hour or two after I woke up and the camp began to stir. Groggy campers slunk out of their cabins. Some of them looked like they hadn't slept in weeks, especially one kid. He looked familiar, he wore an aviator jacket and had olive skin.

It was that kid who attacked me at Mars Weapons Surplus™. I glared at him and he glared back. I strolled along to see if I could find Drew. At that moment I slammed into someone who knocked me back on my butt. I looked and saw Gabby across from me rubbing her rear-end.

"Ow! What the Hades?" She scowled at me. I put out my hand to help her up, but she got up on her own. I hate it when that happens. What am I supposed to do? Give myself a high-five? Or run my fingers through my hair?

"Sorry about that," I said, rubbing the back of my neck. "I wasn't watching where I was going. I'm such an idiot." She laughed.

"Dude, don't be so hard on yourself. You knocked me over. It's fine." She paused. "Now if you shot me in the knee, I might appreciate more concern." I chuckled at her sarcasm. She began to pick at her pink shirt. "So, what was that explosion about last night?"

Do I want to tell her? Nah, I don't feel like being classed with the love demi-gods. No offense to them but no thanks. "Just found a cool weapon and decided to shoot it." Awkward silence followed, so I decided to change the subject. "How is Jess doing?"

"Oh she is doing just fine," she said, while admiring her shoes. Suddenly the world was tinted pink. " _I wonder if he likes me?_ " a voice in my head asked. Except, it wasn't my voice; it was Gabby's! I stumbled back and grasped my head. "Wha-?" Other voices slowly started to trickle into my head. I couldn't stand it. I couldn't - _I wonder what's for lunch today?_ \- _Do these shorts make me look fat?_ \- _Josh!_ Then darkness.

I sat in the infirmary, darkness surrounding me. They couldn't see me, none of them could. I looked down at the boy I would once harbor as my son: _Josh Minor_. I smiled and brushed his hair out of his face as the heart monitor beeped steadily. _I wonder how long it will take you to realize that your power will be the cause of their hate. These people who you call your friends and your kind will destroy the man they bowed to an laugh. Only you and I truly know this feeling. I will accept you, my son._

 **Sorry, I just love leaving you with cliff-hangers! Don't hate me. ;)**


	9. A Familiar Face

_I will accept you, my son. Your power will be the source of their hate. Only you and I truly know this feeling._ _ **I will accept you, my son.**_ I lightly stirred at the sound of a girl in my head. _His heart is flat-lining! What do I do?!_ I woke up and gasped for air. I could hear a steady beep of a heart monitor. There were cords attached to my arms and chest. I sat up violently. I had no shirt and my toned body was revealed as the blankets fell away from me. I was in a hospital bed in what I assumed was the camp infirmary. Jessie was sitting in a chair next to my bed, her feet dangling from the chair in little black boots. Her mouth was open in shock.

"Y-your heart! It-it wasn't beating." She sniffled.

"How long have I been here?" I asked.

"About four days," she answered. She choked on another sob.

"Hey it's okay." I reached out and grabbed her hand. "I would give you a hug, but I probably stink since I've been lying here for four days." Jessie laughed and wiped away her tears.

"I'll go get the doctor," she said with excitement in her eyes. She dashed off and left me alone with my thoughts. Actually, alone with other people's thoughts. I looked around at the other kids lying on similar beds in this hut. Some had minor scratches and others had lion-claw gashes (I could be the next Dr. Seuss!). One kid with a small cut on the back of his hand thought, _It didn't help that Connor poured lemon juice in it. Who requests_ lemon juice _in their magic goblet?!_ I chucked in spite of myself at the unfortunate yet comedic situation some of the other campers were in.

Whatever happened to me, I knew it had something to do with Eros's stupid gift. I mean, I appreciate the offer, but he told me that it would cause me pain to have more gifts. How long until I start to feel the repercussions of these 'generous' gods? Who gave them the right to meddle with my life? But I have to admit, mind-reading and super-speed are super cool. Honestly though, it sounds so. . . cliche. I mean two of the greatest powers in one week? And the son of one of the most powerful war gods in mythology? What kind of idiot is writing my life? But I digress.

The doctor, who happened to be Chiron, (I'm pretty sure there are no other _actual_ doctors here, besides, Chiron's doctorate is in Latin.) gave me a basic rundown of my conditions and where I could pick up my personal items. I began to roll out of the bed when I realized that I was only wearing a pair of gray boxers. My head lolled back as I sighed at whichever god was paying attention to me. Really? At least it was Chiron who decided to care for me and not Gabby or that girl in the woods. I cursed in Greek and strolled to the table at the front of the building. Well speak of the devil, that girl in the woods was managing the personals table. Her eyes lit up when she saw me. I don't know if it was because she saw me or because she saw me lacking a shirt. . . and pants.

"Hey there! So. . . " She began to swirl her finger on the table flirtatiously.

"I don't want any trouble," I interrupted. "I just want my stuff."

She glared at me and turned around in her chair, facing the cabinets behind her. "Name," she said robotically.

"Joshua Hart-Loyle Minor," I responded. She opened a cabinet and Gauntlet was there. She took it out, gave it to me, closed the cabinet, and counted to five under breath. She opened the cabinet again and my clothes were lying in the cabinet. I raised my eyebrows and watched as my stuff piled on the desk. While this was all happening, my thoughts were constantly interrupted by other people's. She finally finished and began looking at items and checked them off on a clipboard.

"One Nike muscle tee, one pair of slim blue jeans, one magic item, one 36-inch sword, one pair of white socks, one pair of leather Converses, one black Adidas jacket, and one black ring." I looked at her in confusion.

"Umm. . . that black ring isn't mine," I said. She looked at me with a mischievous smirk on her face. "Well, you'll have to take that up with the Hecate cabin. But between you and me," she whispered as she beckoned me closer. "The last kid who argued with a Hecate camper is now a toad in the woods." She giggled as I slipped the iron ring on my finger with a morbid look on my face.

"Duly noted," I gulped. I turned on my heels and walked back to my bedding area. I slipped on my jeans, shirt, socks, and shoes. I tied my jacket around my waist and marched out of the infirmary. The girl at the desk gave me a flirty wave and mouthed, _bye_. I walked about twenty paces before realizing that I wasn't bombarded with foreign thoughts. What was happening? I looked at Gauntlet on my left forearm. _No,_ I thought. _It couldn't be Gauntlet, I had him on when I collapsed_. The I looked at the ring on my right hand. _Could it be?_ I slipped it off and immediately I was swarmed with thousands of thoughts. My head jerked back with the sudden force of the combined energy. I felt a metallic taste in my mouth and spit blood out on the ground. I quickly fumbled the ring back onto my finger. The sensation left and I wiped the blood off onto my fist.

 _I probably should leave this on for a while_ , I thought. _Until I get this under control_. A conch horn blew and I realized it was almost sundown. I had missed dinner. I was not very hungry, despite not eating for _four days_. At this rate, I'm surprised I'm not suffering from severe brain damage from the time I've spent unconscious. I probably reeked like death because I hadn't showered in _days!_ I walked to the showers and stripped off my clothes. I stepped in to one of the cubicles and turned on the water. It was cold and stung my back. I couldn't complain though; everyone in the camp must have showered by now. I finished my cold shower and slipped my clothes on. I noticed a large gathering of campers in the center of camp and decided to join along. There was lots of singing and dancing, but the most peculiar thing there was a large color changing fire in the hearth.

I made my way to Drew and sat down next to her. Jessie was sitting in her lap. Jess had her long hair pulled up into a messy bun and wore her orange camp shirt. Drew was dressed in a similar way, but camp shirt had a much lower neckline. She had her hair in a ponytail with a few strands hanging down in front of her face. Despite it seeming careless, she pulled it off with ease. I was surprised at this, since she usually caked on makeup until you could barely recognize her. I smirked at her.

"What?" she questioned.

"Nothing" I replied. "When did you stop wearing makeup?"

"A couple months ago," she said, nonchalantly. "Ever since I met my new boyfriend. I hardly even miss it." She looked at me and gave me an innocent smile.

"Good," I said, and I bumped her shoulder with mine. "'Cause I was going to say you looked pretty without it, but then you would yell at me for not thinking you were pretty before." She punched me hard in the chest as I laughed it off. A conch sounded and everyone scrambled from dancing back to here seats. I heard a single voice still singing, which was quickly silenced by a harsh slap. I tried to hold in a laugh.

"Thank you," said Chiron from in front of the fire that glowed a mysterious purple shade. "Now, as you know we have a lot of new campers this year, but one in particular has summoned the god Ares. Whether or not we appreciate him burning combat boot shaped marks in the Hermes table is still debatable. Anyway, my announcement is that there have been recent reports of a strange monster here by the camper. It is was named by him as the 'bearadillo'. We will come up with a better one later, but for now this one will have to do." I smirked. _What could be better than a bearadillo?_

Chiron continued with other announcements and I stared at Gabby. I mean I 'cautiously observed the female specimen for scientific purposes'. Wink wink. But I was doing it for scientific purposes. I was wondering if I could listen to her thoughts with the ring being on. I focused but nothing came to me. After staring for a few minutes I finally gave up. Jessie grabbed my hand and squeezed it. _Just to make sure he's there_ , she thought. Physical contact. That's it! My face lit up. I squeezed her hand back and gave her one of my signature smirks. She let go and I turned my attention back to Chiron.

"Now, just to be clear," he boomed. "The explosion in camp a few days ago were not a threat, but a mishandling with a dangerous weapon." He gave me a disapproving glare and I smiled and waved back at him. He rolled his eyes and trotted away. I glanced over at Rachel as she sat upon a chair with some other campers. They seemed on their guard, as if she could go oracle any second. I half expected her to, but no avail. She stood and dismissed everyone to their cabins. I walked back with Clarisse and some of my other siblings. They were all heavily armed. One had a shield strapped to their back and a sword at their side, another carried dual swords and Uzis. Clarisse wore a chainmail breastplate and had a long sword. I carried Gauntlet on my left hand today and my sword on my back. I felt sorry for everyone around us, we looked ferocious. Here were four heavily armed teenagers with a war deity for a dad just strolling through camp.

"Josh, you and me are on mine duty," Clarisse grunted. I cringed at the sentence. _It's 'you and I',_ I thought.

"What's mine duty?" I queried.

She smirked at me. "We get to reposition the land mines in front of the Ares cabin. I'm surprised you didn't die when you first walked in."

I paled at the thought of bits of me flying across camp. But, honestly, I wouldn't be surprised with all that's happened to me today.

"Sounds cool," I replied. "When do we start?"

"In the morning."

We made it to the Ares cabin and I rested my head on the pillow. I heard Clarisse yell for lights out and I slipped into a dream.

In my dream I stood on a sea of black glass. In front of me was a being of darkness. "You could thank me for the ring," she said with a smirk.

"I thought that was Eros."

"Nah, he would have left you to pass out over and over till you got the hang of it." She thrust out she hand. "I'm Atë, goddess of guilt and misfortune." She had such an intoxicating aura around her, I could feel it in my dream. I could barely imagine what she was capable of if I was actually there. She was a very beautiful woman, but that made me want to get as far from her as possible. She was one that would use men to do whatever she wanted. She stepped into the light, revealing her form. Her olive skin was barely a shade darker than mine. Her eyes had the same shifting effect as mine. Her hair was a dark brown. Then I realized why she seemed so familiar. I dropped to my knees with tears in my eyes. My mouth could barely form the words.

"M-Mom?"

 **YAY! Another cliff hanger! Don't kill me guys, please. I'm just keeping it interesting. So yeah, my mom is a goddess. But wait, if my mom is a goddess and my dad is a god, doesn't that make me a. . . or does it? Just come back next week to find out!**


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